My campaign platform is that I think that, in Washington DC, there is NOT government of the people by the people, and for the people. I further think that the causes of that condition are also causes of Congress being dysfunctional and not being able to do its job properly for the American people. I think this should have primacy and urgency for the American people, because, until these conditions are corrected, there will continue to be great failures to act by Congress and/or great errors in actions that are taken by Congress. A fuller statement of my platform can be found here.

I am doing my best to instigate debate about my platform among the 6th Congressional district candidates.

The alleged conditions that form the basis of my platform, if they exist, affect voters everywhere in the country, and not just in the 6th Congressional district.

Also, as I discuss in the above linked statement of my platform, incumbent lawmakers who have Washington experience are the most knowledgeable about critical matters that are the basis of my platform.

I do not want to waste the time of the other 6th district candidates and of voters in the district if my platform does not have substantial validity in fact.

If the collective wisdom of the Alabama legislative delegation in Washington is that my platform does not have substantial validity in fact, and that voters in the 6th Congressional district need not have significant concern about what I am trying to put forth in my platform, being advised about that could be helpful for the conduct of the election campaign in the 6th district by myself and the other candidates.

Accordingly, your views about my platform are respectfully solicited for consideration by the 6th district candidates (including myself) and voters.

Please make reply as and to the extent you are willing to do so. Replies may be emailed to me at rdshattuck@gmail.com and will be posted in this blog.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Rob Shattuck

[The foregoing open letter is in the process of being disseminated (via website contact forms, email, and other means as may be needed) to the addressees and to the others designated as being copied. This entry will be updated as appropriate to reflect the progress of such dissemination, and responses that are received.]

[Update: Letter has been emailed to Bradley Byrne, Martha Roby, Robert Aderholt, Mo Brooks, Tamara Harris Johnson, and the 6th district candidates (except for Scott Beason). Letter has been sent to Spencer Bachus, Terri Sewell and Erick Wright using their online contact forms.]

[Update 2/21/14: Letter has been sent to Senators Shelby and Sessions via their U.S. Senate website contact forms; also to Mike Rogers via email.]

[Update 2/26/14. A staff member at Senator Shelby's office in Washington DC called me and made a telephonic response to me to above "open letter", which I had transmitted to Senator Shelby via his U.S. Senate website contact form. This telephonic response is summarized in this separate entry Senator Shelby's response to "open letter".]